Before It's Too Late
by I Caught Myself
Summary: Abandoned by the Decepticons until she can prove herself again, Alice decides to go against Megatron to find a way for peace. Full summary inside. Complete.
1. Prologue: Banished

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Transformers**

**Summary:**** Abandoned by the Decepticons until she can prove herself again, Alice decides to go against Megatron to find a way for peace. To do so, she accidently enlists the help of Leo Spitz. Can they put the past aside and find a way to attempt to end the Cybertronian War?**

**Rating:**** T**

**Before It's Too Late**

**Prologue: Banished**

_The pain. That was the first thing she remembered, after Sam Witwicky had escaped from her, with his girlfriend and his nerdy roommate. Afterwards she had made a quick getaway – NEST had been on their way to rescue Sam. Sometimes it seemed that they needed him more than they needed the Autobots. Alice regained her human disguise and stumbled through the campus, pretending to be caught up in the hysteria like everyone else – pretending was what she did best. That was why she was a Decepticon. She deceived people. As she ran through the campus, every step a strain on her circuits, Alice's mind raced – would this war ever be over? Would she ever be able to return home to Cybertron to live out the rest of her days in peace? What if this war consumed her life, as it did so many before her? She had tasted humanity in these short days she had spent trying to capture Sam Witwicky, and, although she did not know it yet, she did not want to give it all up._

"So... does this mean we will be leaving Earth soon?" Alice asked, standing before Megatron and Starscream. She had made it to Egypt too late to be a part of the battle, but the Decepticon leader and his Second in Command had not yet left the area – they needed repairs before they would be able to return to the _Nemesis_ and plan their next attack.

"Only to head back to the _Nemesis _and co-ordinate our next attack." Megatron growled. "I will not let Optimus Prime humiliate me again!" He struck the ground with his fist, leaving a large crater.

"How many times have you said that now?" Alice asked, trying to hide a smirk.

"How dare you speak to Lord Megatron like that!" Starscream spat.

"Starscream, I believe that's how you talk to him _all_ of the time." Alice snarled. "I'm just saying that maybe we should start looking for peace. This war has raged for a stupidly long time and what are we even fighting for anymore? The All Spark is gone and so is the Star Harvester. We would be better to return to Cybertron and look for new energy sources there. Our technology is so much more advanced."

"If I wanted your opinion, I would've asked for it!" Megatron roared and flung Alice away in disgust. She bounced and rolled to a stop a couple of feet away. "Why are you still in that stupid human disguise anyway?"

"My circuits were damaged in my escape... and when that bitch hit me with the car." Alice growled. "I can't transform. I'm stuck in this stupid form until I can get someone to fix me. I thought it might be useful, me being like this."

"What use would a human be to us?" Starscream asked. "You're what we're trying to eradicate. We do not care for this race or their planet. We're here to sustain ourselves however we can, no matter what the cost is to the planet's original inhabitants."

"I could help you get into NEST. Even though they probably know what I look like, thanks to Witwicky, I'll be less noticeable than anyone else you might want to send to... where did Soundwave say it was? Diego Garcia?"

"We don't need you to go into NEST. We have Soundwave attached to a satellite and he gives us all of the information we need." Megatron said. He turned to look at his SIC. "Starscream, I think she may have out served her purpose to the Decepticon cause. What do you think?"

"Oh, I agree, Lord Megatron." Alice could see the eager gleam in the Seeker's optics. Starscream had never been fond of her, and she had returned his spite in equal amounts. "What are we going to do? Are we going to deactivate her?"

"No." Megatron said.

"What?" Starscream exclaimed.

"If you _can _get yourself fixed up –" Megatron looked down at Alice. "– You may rejoin the Decepticon ranks, and you need to get these ideas about peace out of your head. I am not going to deactivate you today, as you are young and do not understand the extent of the war. You are banished from the Decepticon ranks until further notice. Do not try to contact us until you have made yourself worthy of our time."

"You mean – you're not going to kill her?" Starscream exclaimed in outrage.

"No Starscream, I am not going to kill her." Megatron growled. "I am showing her the mercy I showed you when you were young and made mistakes."

"I may be young compared to you and Starscream, but I know the history of our race better than most, Lord Megatron." Alice growled.

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" Megatron asked.

"It depends how you take it, Lord Megatron." Alice replied darkly.

"Starscream, let's go!" Megatron ordered. "We have to get repairs and depart to prepare our army." The two Decepticons took to the sky, leaving Alice standing alone in the Egyptian desert. She watched them go – she was going to find a way to form peace, even if it meant creating an even bigger war.

**A/N: That was short, but it was only a prologue to explain why Alice wants peace. After writing "One Last Time" and "One More Time", I really wanted to explore Alice's character some more and her relationship with Leo.**

**I'd love to hear what people think about this and your comments are always welcome – they make me feel as though I'm being appreciated, and I'm sure it's the same for other writers. Please, leave me a comment and I'll try and get back to you :)**

**I Caught Myself.**


	2. Leo

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews guys! I honestly wasn't expecting to get any for this fic, as Alice and Leo is such a weird combination. I guess the storyline makes more sense if you've seen how I characterise Alice in "One More Time". Oh well, I'm going to stop now before I write an essay for my author's note. I hope you enjoy the chapter :D**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Transformers**

**Summary:**** Abandoned by the Decepticons until she can prove herself again, Alice decides to go against Megatron to find a way for peace. To do so, she accidently enlists the help of Leo Spitz. Can they put the past aside and find a way to attempt to end the Cybertronian War?**

**Rating:**** T**

**Before It's Too Late**

**Chapter 1: Leo**

Three weeks after the incident in Egypt, Leo Spitz was back at college and being debriefed on Diego Garcia. He was slightly jumpy and convinced the Decepticons were coming to kill him and Sam, but he was back at college and relatively pleased about discovering the truth about the Extra-Terrestrials. He was even more pleased amount the large government cash deposit sitting in his bank account to keep him quiet, and the fact that he had been promised a high grade in any exams he took, no matter how badly he did.

Leo threw his holdall down onto the floor and sat down onto his bed, completely exhausted. They had just back from Egypt and he was still finding sand _everywhere._ Leo took off his hoodie and flung it across the room, covering Sam in a shower of sand. The other teen looked up and frowned at Leo.

"Thank you so much for the sand shower." Sam scowled.

"You're welcome." Leo grinned and flopped down onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. "I wish we were back in Egypt. It was nice and hot there..."

"What about the sand?" Sam asked.

"Okay... I wish we were back at Diego Garcia. It was hot there and there was only sand on the beach." Leo sighed. "You wanna get some pizza later?"

"Sorry, I can't." Sam apologised. "I'm seeing 'Kaela tonight – she said she was going to come and visit to see how I was getting on after Egypt and then she was going to head back home in a couple of days to make sure her dad's getting on okay. I'm hoping she is, then she might move here and we'll be able to get an apartment together."

"Does that mean you two want to be alone tonight?" Leo asked.

"If you don't mind..." Sam said.

"Nah, it's fine. I'll just grab some people... like Sharsky and Fassbinder. We'll go out and get some pizza. Text me when it's safe for me to come back, yeah?" Leo laughed. "If it is ever safe for me to come back. It'll be a good thing if Mikaela moves her and you guys get an apartment together."

"Really?" Sam asked.

"No." Leo scoffed. "Who would I have to do all of the cleaning? I'm the messiest person in the world – trust me. If you moved out this room would turn into a bombsite."

"Nice to know I'm appreciated for something around here." Sam said.

"Well... I'm gonna unpack everything and then head out. I don't really want to be here when Mikaela arrives. The lovey-dovey talk that'll be going on between the two of you will actually make me want to vomit." Leo wrinkled his nose. "Seriously, when did you two start getting like that?"

"Ever since she said 'I love you' in Egypt." Sam shrugged.

"Wait – she said 'I love you'. Did you say it back?" Leo asked. Sam was silent. "You didn't, did you? Oh, she's going to kill you. She's actually going to kill you."

"I didn't say it back because it didn't feel like the right time." Sam confessed. "Trust me, Leo. I will say it to her one day and she knows that."

"Of course she does." Leo said. Sam hit him.

xXx

"Okay then. I guess I'll see you guys around." Leo ended the phone call. After ditching Sharsky and Fassbinder to hang around with Sam, they didn't seem to want to hang out with him anymore. He guessed it had something to do with disappearing for a couple of days and coming back afterwards as Sam's best friend. With sand everywhere and in a flash looking yellow and black sports car with a hot girl in it. Yeah, they might be the reasons why Sharsky and Fassbinder didn't want to see him. Leo headed down the street grumbling to himself. He should've made Sam and Mikaela go somewhere else for the night – that way he could be enjoying a takeaway pizza at home on his own, not going to a restaurant to sit in the building and eat on his own.

When Leo reached the restaurant, he sat down in the corner, as far away from everyone as possible and made sure that there was some sort of fake plant in front of him, so that he wasn't visible to everyone eating in the restaurant. If anyone asked, he would just tell them that his date was running late. He wished his date _was_ running late, but sadly, he had never had a date in his life, and wasn't likely to in the future – distant or otherwise. In his opinion, the only person he had come close to having a date with was a psycho-chick who turned out to be an alien robot who was trying to kill or capture him... and Sam and Mikaela, but they were only a minor part of it.

Leo could swear he just spotted said psycho-chick alien robot standing across the road in a phone booth.

xXx

Alice was trying to work directory enquiries and find out where Sam Witwicky was. If she found him, he would be able to help her. He had absorbed the knowledge and power from the All Spark, hadn't he? Sam could help her find what she was looking for if it meant stopping the war... or he would call his friends in NEST and have them take her away and tortured... but it was worth a try. However, directory enquiries was not going to tell her _anything_ about Sam Witwicky. She guessed the government wouldn't let him be tracked that easily. She slammed the phone down in annoyance and leant against the wall of the phone booth, wondering what to do.

"Excuse me, miss? Are you done with the phone?" A man asked, opening the door to the phone booth.

"Oh, yes I am." Alice smiled sweetly. She stepped out of the booth and saw the man's eyes widen in horror. She looked down, and saw that one of her arms was mechanical from the elbow downwards.

"What are you, some sort of freak?" the man exclaimed, stepping backwards from her. He was creating a scene, and people were stopping to look. Many of them were noticing Alice's mechanical arm and muttering to others standing nearby.

"No... it's a... prosthetic. I lost my arm in... erm..." Alice hid her arm behind her back. She didn't think she was able to transform after being run over by Mikaela.

"Alice!" Someone called from across the street. She whipped around and saw Leo walking towards her. He pushed his way through the crowd, over to where she was standing with the man, who didn't look convinced by what Alice had said. "Hey you, how have you been?" He didn't know why he was trying to help her... he just was.

"Leo, get out of here." She hissed. "I can handle this myself."

"Excuse me, but who are you?" the man asked Leo.

"I'm Leonardo Ponce de Leon Spitz. Who the hell are you?"

"I meant who are you to get involved in this?" the man asked. "This is between me and the lady."

"The 'lady' and me go way back." Leo protested. "Why don't you let me get her out of here and I'll sort her out?"

"She's got a mechanical arm." The man pointed at Alice.

"Do you?" Leo asked. Alice held out her arm, and jumped in surprise. It was covered with smooth skin again. Leo turned to the man. "I don't know what the hell you're on, but it gives you no excuse to bother people in the street. Alice, let's go."

"But –" Alice didn't have the chance to protest, because Leo grabbed her by the arm and dragged her away down the street, into a small coffee shop that was nearing closing time. He shoved Alice into a seat, and sat down opposite her. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialled a number, then laid it on the table in front of him.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't call NEST right now and tell them where you are." Leo ordered.

"I've found a way to end the war." Alice complied. Leo stared at her, dumbstruck.

**A/N: I thought that would be a good place to end this chapter, so that I could explain more in the next chapter and Alice can try and get Leo to let her talk to Sam.**

**I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, but hopefully it won't be too long :)**

**I love to hear what you guys think, so drop me a line if you have the time.**

**I Caught Myself**


	3. Secrets and Lies

**A/N: Thank you for all of your reviews guys. I still wasn't expecting to have this many by now... maybe just a couple from my loyal friend Kimmieh-chan. After all, I guess it was her that really made me write this... and the plot bunnies dancing in my head. Oh well, enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Transformers**

**Summary:**** Abandoned by the Decepticons until she can prove herself again, Alice decides to go against Megatron to find a way for peace. To do so, she accidently enlists the help of Leo Spitz. Can they put the past aside and find a way to attempt to end the Cybertronian War?**

**Rating:**** T**

**Before It's Too Late**

**Chapter 2: Secrets and Lies**

"_Give me one good reason why I shouldn't call NEST right now and tell them where you are." Leo ordered._

"_I've found a way to end the war." Alice complied. Leo stared at her, dumbstruck._

xXx

"What do you mean you've found a way to end the war?" Leo spluttered. "This war is never going to end – Egypt was proof of that. Optimus and Megatron... the Autobots and Decepticons... they're just too different." He folded his arms. "Why should I believe you anyway? You're a Decepticon... the whole... deception thing..."

"Leo, I want to end this war." Alice insisted. "It's been going on for millions of years, and there isn't really any point to it anymore. There must be more technologically advanced ways on Cybertron to create energy for sparklings to stop them dying. I need to speak to Sam about something... he might be the only one who can and will help me because he has all of the knowledge of The All Spark."

"Do you seriously think I'm going to let you anywhere near Sam?" Leo asked and unfolded his arms. His right hand hovered over the call button on his phone.

"How are you going to stop me, Leo?" Alice asked, leaning back in her chair and folding her arms. "By the time NEST get here, I'll be long gone."

"No." Leo scoffed. "After your first attack here and Egypt, Bumblebee isn't leaving Sam's side. He'll take you out and there won't be any need for NEST to get here except to pick up the pieces."

"Fine." Alice huffed. "If I can't get near Sam, you'll have to talk to him for me."

"Wait? What?" Leo cried. "I'm not going to ask Sam questions for you! I can't go and start questioning him randomly about transformer history! He'll freak out and then he'll want to know why I'm asking him and I don't think 'general curiosity' will cover it!"

"Okay then." Alice leaned forward and smirked. "I'll kill you if you don't do it. How's that for motivation, Leo?"

"Oh..."

xXx

Leo knocked on the door to his and Sam's dorm room. Alice was lurking around the corner at the end of the hall, her eyes fixed on Leo. She was making sure he didn't drop any hints to Sam that she was here. If he did, it was likely she wouldn't escape the building without having to fight Bumblebee. Leo knocked again, this time louder. Sam answered the door, looking extremely annoyed and dishevelled.

"Leo, you said you would be gone for the night." Sam scowled, glancing back into the room then at Leo. "What the hell do you want?"

"I... was just wondering if I could ask you some questions about Cybertron and stuff." Leo replied nervously.

"You want to ask me this now? Why now? Couldn't it wait?" Sam demanded.

"No, because I know I'll forget if I don't ask you now." Leo responded. "So... can I ask you now?"

"If you leave straight afterwards." Sam agreed, stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him. He folded his arms and stared at Leo. "What made you think about this stuff anyway? Weren't you out getting pizza with Sharsky and Fassbinder?"

"They... don't really seem to want to hang out with me." Leo confessed, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets. "I think it's because we disappeared for a few days and I came back all matey with you and then I didn't tell them where I had been or anything."

"That might be it..." Sam said thoughtfully. "You know that you can't tell them anything, right?"

"Of course I know that." Leo sighed. "So. Cybertron."

"Yes."

"I was just wondering if there was some sort of activation energy thingy hidden somewhere on Earth." Leo shrugged. "It just crossed my mind whilst I was eating, y'know, like the Matrix could bring Optimus back. Could we use it to revive other transformers if there was something like that?"

"I'm not really sure..." Sam said, rubbing his chin. "But something sticks out in my mind... I want to say... the Amazon... South America... that kind of area. I think there's something about ruins of ancient temples and some sort of power source... something that was kept hidden because it was activation energy for something... something the Autobots and the Decepticons didn't want activated."

"Any idea what it is?" Leo asked.

"No." Sam replied. "I can't be more precise than that – it's like The All Spark doesn't want me to know about it... maybe I'll talk to Optimus Prime and see if he knows anything about it..."

"Erm..." Leo glanced at Alice, who was shaking her head and making motions with her hand across her throat, telling him to cut the conversation off. If Sam spoke to Optimus Prime, he might figure out what she was trying to do. "Nah, don't worry about it. You've told me enough. I was just curious about it. I don't need to know all the gory details."

"Oh, well, if you're sure." Sam shrugged.

"I'm sure." Leo nodded. "Have fun with Mikaela and don't worry – I'll crash at someone else tonight, to give both of you some alone time."

"Oh, thanks." Sam said, watching Leo dash off down the hallway and disappear around the corner, half skidding. Leo grabbed Alice by the arm and dragged her out of Hamilton Hall, heading for the college grounds. The sky was darkening, though parts of it were illuminated by the city lights as Leo dragged Alice towards the entrance to the college.

"Leo, where are we going?" Alice asked.

"Away from here." Leo replied. "Sam is clearly going to be wondering why I was asking him those questions, and he'll probably tell Bumblebee. Bumblebee is a lot smarter than Sam and will probably be able to work out that I'm not asking them purely out of interest – he'll know that someone is looking for something, and the fact that I asked him and a transformer didn't will prove that it's a Decepticon."

"So why are you coming with me?" Alice asked, planting her feet firmly on the ground, forcing Leo to stop and look at her. "Shouldn't you stay here and convince them you didn't just help out a Decepticon? Autobots tend not to like it when you do that."

"If I stay here, I'll be subjected to even more questioning by the Autobots – maybe even Optimus Prime – and, I know what Sam said, you don't. You need me. I'm not going to give you the information so you can just run away and plot to destroy Earth." Leo insisted. "I'm going with you to make sure you don't do anything stupid and if you do, I'll take you out."

"Please, don't make me laugh."

"I won't." Leo grinned. "Anyway, you're going to need me – you're not human, Alice. Some of the things you do are going to stick out like a sore thumb. You're going to need me to communicate with people for you and... people don't take to kindly to other people with mechanical arms." Leo gestured to her arm, which was mechanical again.

"Oh no!" Alice tucked it behind her back and glared at him. "I don't even know why it keeps doing that! I know that after Mikaela hit me with the car I couldn't transform, but this is the second time this has happened – I think I need to see someone who can fix it, but Decepticons have never been too big on fixing each other up..."

"How about Ratchet?"

"He's an Autobot."

"Are you sure there aren't any Decepticon medics?"

"Well, there's Scalpel but none of them will help me anyway."

"Why not?"

"It's a long story."

"We've got time."

"Okay, I'll give you the short version – Megatron banished me from the Decepticon ranks until I get these 'crazy' ideas for peace out of my head and fix myself up. Only then am I allowed to make any contact with the Decepticons." Alice explained. "I'm not going to get these ideas out of my head – I'm going to follow them through."

"What, you're going to South America – that's where Sam said to go – to find this activation energy and then you're going to take it back to Cybertron to revive the planet?" Leo asked.

"Something like that." Alice's eyes dropped to the floor. When Leo found out what she was really going to do with the activation energy, he wasn't going to like it. If he tried to stop her in any way, she would kill him. Never had anyone been so close to finding peace in the Cybertronian War, no matter how shocking the means to get peace were.

"Well then I'm definitely coming with you." Leo insisted. "You're going to save the world from this war, and I want in. I didn't get anything out of Egypt... except for a hell of a lot of sand... well, and a big load of government cash but that isn't the point. I want some of the glory. Everyone thinks I'm an idiot and a scaredy cat. For once in my life I just want people to respect me."

"That's a very human thing." Alice observed. "Y'know – doing it for the glory."

"So can I come with you?" Leo asked.

"I guess you might be useful sometimes..." Alice said thoughtfully. "If you out serve your purpose, I can just kill you and dump the body somewhere."

"..."

"That was a joke, silly."

"You're jokes aren't funny." Leo snapped. "So, where to first?"

"I guess we have to go to South America." Alice shrugged. "Did he give you a proper location or anything?"

"I'm pretty sure he mentioned the Amazon." Leo said, rubbing his chin.

"The Amazon is pretty big."

"Then we better start looking as soon as we get to South America."

"This doesn't mean that I like you."

"Same here, Alice. I'm only here to make sure you don't do anything _really_ typical of Decepticons."

"Well, killing you would be a start." She smirked.

"Can we please get away from the subject of my death?" Leo scowled.

xXx

"What did Leo want?" Mikaela asked, snuggling against Sam's shoulder.

"Something to do with Cybertronian tech." Sam replied, sighing and leaning back against the railings. "He was acting kinda weird though. He kept glancing around the corner, like someone was watching him and he was checking if they were still there."

"I'm sure it was nothing." Mikaela said.

"I'm not." Sam frowned. "What would make him ask questions like that? I know he's curious about it all after Egypt, but why not ask Bumblebee about some sort of power source like that. Why did he ask me?"

"Maybe he's still freaked out by the transformers and wanted to talk to a human." Mikaela sighed impatiently. "Look – if you want to sit here and talk about Leo all night, I'm going to leave. We need to talk about us."

"Can I at least get Bumblebee to tail him?" Sam pleaded.

"Fine." Mikaela snapped. "But afterwards, we're talking about Egypt – you still haven't said those words, and I want to know why."

**A/N: This chapter was up later than I expected, mainly because of unforeseen circumstances and it's not slash, so it takes forever for me to write it :)**

**I love your reviews guys! Keep them coming, and this time I'll try to reply to some of them – I just get so caught up in writing that I forget to respond to them! :D**

**I Caught Myself**


	4. Humanity

_::commlinks::_

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Transformers**

**Summary:**** Abandoned by the Decepticons until she can prove herself again, Alice decides to go against Megatron to find a way for peace. To do so, she accidently enlists the help of Leo Spitz. Can they put the past aside and find a way to attempt to end the Cybertronian War?**

**Rating:**** T**

**Before It's Too Late**

**Chapter 3: Humanity**

"Leo, could you explain to me how you're planning to get us to South America, even though I do not have a passport?" Alice asked. They were standing at the airport, trying to get some tickets for a flight to Peru leaving in a few hours time. "Isn't it kind of essential to have one to go through a border?"

"Oh." Leo said. "Can't you just... make one or something? Steal one? Transform into one?"

"Very funny." Alice snapped. "I suppose I could steal one, but it isn't going to look like me at all."

"Well... sneak on board the plane and hide in the cargo hold until we get to Peru or something." Leo shrugged. "That way, you won't have to worry about having a passport and you won't have to sit with me on the flight, meaning I can get some sleep because I won't have to answer any of your questions about what Sam told me."

"If you tell me, it might trigger something else and I'll be able to take us to the right place – for all we know this energy source could be anywhere along the Amazon River, at the source, the delta, the middle... it could even be behind a waterfall somewhere." Alice insisted. "You have to tell me everything you know. What if Sam missed something out, and I know something that he doesn't? It might be some life saving information."

"I'm not telling you anything." Leo said, folding his arms. "The moment I tell you what Sam said, you'll run away and probably bring doom to the world. You're a Decepticon. Doom is what you do."

"Fine, don't tell me anything." Alice snapped. "But you'll be sorry when we end up in the middle of a river, surrounded by piranhas that are going to eat you and we never find what we're looking for."

"Fine." Leo smiled. "So, are you going to sit in the cargo hold?"

xXx

Bumblebee had done as Sam had said. He had followed Leo to the airport, and he seen him with someone – a girl. There was something wrong in the area. Bumblebee was picking up Decepticon signals from the airport, but he wasn't sure where exactly. Maybe Sam was right, and the Decepticons were forcing Leo to work for them. If the Decepticons had, why hadn't Leo tried to tell Sam or any of the Autobots? If he had told them, they would've been able to help. They could've fought the Decepticons and told them to back off... but this didn't seem like Megatron's work. Megatron despised humans, and it was likely that he was undergoing repairs after Egypt, as was Starscream.

Bumblebee considered charging into the airport, all guns blazing, to rescue Leo from the clutches of the Decepticons, but he didn't know for sure the Decepticons were the ones making Leo do it. Then he picked it up. The Decepticon was with Leo. Whoever they were, they were standing next to Sam's roommate. Bumblebee activated a proper scan and tracked the signal. The girl. It was something to do with her.

_Forget Sam, I'm calling this in._ Bumblebee thought to himself, patching himself through to Optimus Prime on Diego Garcia. _::Optimus, this is Bumblebee::_

_ ::Bumblebee, what's going on?::_ Optimus replied.

_::There's a Decepticon with Leo. They're in disguise as a human female. I think she's the same one as before who was at the college... Sam called her Alice I think::_

_ ::Are you certain that it's a Decepticon?::_

_::Yes::_

_ ::Why is Leo with her?::_

_ ::I'm not sure. Sam thinks that the Decepticons might be using Leo to help them try and find something in South America::_ Bumblebee didn't get a response from Optimus for a few minutes. _::Optimus, are you there?::_

_ ::I'm on my way to South America::_ was Optimus's reply.

xXx

In the end, Alice had resorted to stealing a passport and turning it into one of her own, by replacing the picture with one of her, which he and Leo had taken in a booth a few minutes before. Somehow, they had managed to fool security – probably through the large wad of cash Leo had given them from his government account – and were now sitting on a plane that was preparing to take off and land in Peru.

Alice was sat beside the window, with Leo on her other side. She was staring out of the window in awe. The only plane she had ever flown in was a Seeker – and she hated flying. Usually, she had her eyes closed and was screaming. She shuddered as the plane began to move, and jumped when a warm hand was laid on hers. Her head snapped and around and she saw Leo staring straight at her, smiling slightly.

"You don't like flying much, do you?" Leo asked.

"No, not really." Alice replied, a faint smile on her lips. "It's stupid, isn't it? A Decepticon – an alien robot – being afraid of something as petty as flying? It doesn't really make me that scary, does it?"

"No." Leo said. "But it's human to fear. Maybe you're not as much of a monster as you say you are. Maybe you're just... I don't know... a bit psychotic?"

"Is being psychotic good?" Alice asked.

"Erm... I'm not really sure what I can say about it without sounding extremely horrible." Leo replied. "Nevermind about that. I don't really like flying either, so I'm going to try and sleep."

"Okay then." Alice smiled. "Have a good sleep."

"Thank you." Leo said. "Maybe you should try sleeping."

"Yeah... I could use a recharge." Alice said thoughtfully. "How long until we get to Peru?"

"I'm not really sure." Leo shrugged. "They wake us up before we get there though." He yawned and rested the back of his head against the seat, letting go of Alice's hand. Alice watched the gentle rise and fall of Leo's chest, and listened to the sounds of his breathing. When she was sure that he was asleep, she reached out and touched his hand again, clutching it in hers. She felt less afraid of flying. Alice was too busy staring out of the window to notice Leo smile and open his eye slightly, then close it again.

xXx

"Whoa, Optimus. I can't get you a flight to South America on such short notice." Lennox sighed. "And I'm not allowed to put in for one unless you tell me why you're so desperate to go. It's pretty obvious you're not going for a holiday."

"Lennox, Bumblebee has given me reliable information that the Decepticons may have Leo in their grasp and are using him to get information from Sam." Optimus explained. "From what Sam told Bumblebee, the Decepticons are looking for something and it's in South America. If I am right, this could be bad for myself and any other Autobots not just on Earth, but throughout the galaxy."

"Right." Lennox said bluntly. "Optimus, you have to tell me why this is bad. I can get a couple of my guys and we can fly out there and get them later this week. You can't go running around in a far away country without us."

"Have you ever heard of Machu Picchu?" Optimus asked.

"No. What is it?"

"It's often referred to as the 'Lost City of the Incas', and is in Peru, near Cusco." Optimus continued. "Cybertronian legends speak of a group of assassins who were hidden there, after trying to take out the leaders of both the Decepticons and the Autobots. They were hidden there, because our race never thought we would come to this planet again... but we were wrong."

"So, tell me more about these assassins." Lennox said, wondering if he should be taking notes.

"They were put into a stasis lock and hidden under the site of Machu Picchu, or the mountain that towers over it, Huayna Picchu, just before humans arrived there. The Incas stayed away from the chamber, knowing that something evil was there." Optimus continued to explain. "The energy needed to reactivate them was hidden in an adjoining chamber, so that anyone could do so in a time of need. If the Decepticons are bringing them back, then it will be bad for all of us."

"How do you know all of this?" Lennox asked.

"The Matrix told me." Optimus replied.

"Oh. Right." Lennox coughed. "Well... did Bumblebee see any other Decepticons?"

"No. Just the one."

"Then... maybe... just maybe... they're acting independently and they want to put a stop to the war." Lennox shrugged. "Maybe they want to reactivate these assassins to take out you _and_ Megatron so that they have a chance of finding peace."

"Independent behaviour is not in a Decepticon's nature."

"Well, it's just a guess." Lennox shrugged again. "Independent behaviour is pretty common for humans."

**A/N: Another chapter done! Hopefully, I'll be able to get some longer chapters uploaded when the plot starts to develop more. **

**The next chapter might be up soon, it might not. It depends how college goes for the next couple of days :D**

**Thanks for the reviews, and keep them coming!**

**I Caught Myself**


	5. Windows to the soul

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Transformers or any songs played by Bumblebee**

**Summary:**** Abandoned by the Decepticons until she can prove herself again, Alice decides to go against Megatron to find a way for peace. To do so, she accidently enlists the help of Leo Spitz. Can they put the past aside and find a way to attempt to end the Cybertronian War?**

**Rating:**** T**

**Before It's Too Late**

**Chapter 4: Windows to the soul**

The plane touched down in Peru a couple of hours later, and Leo's eyes snapped open. He turned to say something to Alice... but she wasn't there. He undid his seatbelt and jumped up out of his seat, frantically looking around for the Decepticon Pretender. An air stewardess came over and started trying to get Leo to sit down. Leo snapped at her about having to find someone and barged past her, determined to find Alice.

"Sir, you need to sit down." The air stewardess hissed.

"I have to find Alice!" Leo insisted. "She's... she's not well. She might hurt someone, or herself. Did you see where she went?"

"Who is Alice?"

"She was sitting next to me!" Leo snapped. "She's... my... fiancé! We're here to celebrate our anniversary... can you help me find her, please?"

"Sir, you need to sit down." The air stewardess repeated. "We'll find your fiancé."

"You don't understand –"

"What don't I understand?" The air stewardess asked.

"She's..." Leo hesitated. He was going to have to extend his lie, to show why he was so worried about the whereabouts of Alice, without saying that she was a psychotic alien robot with a killing instinct. "She's in witness protection. We both are. We're coming to Peru to start a new life. Please... you have to help me find her. Anything might've happened." He was surprised how easily the lies came to him.

"Very well. We'll call the local police and get them here." The air stewardess said. She was wondering what this young man may have done to be under witness protected. "Can you tell me what your fiancé looks like?"

"She's kinda tall, blonde..." Leo paused. "She looks like that."

"Did I miss something?" Alice asked. She was standing behind the air stewardess, blinking at Leo in confusion. "Why do you look so worried?"

"Where the hell have you been?" Leo demanded. "I thought you might've done a runner!"

"No... I was using the bathroom." Alice frowned.

"So, this is your fiancé then?" the air stewardess asked.

"What's a fiancé?" Alice asked.

"This is the extent to how ill she is." Leo explained to the air stewardess. "Can we get off the plane now?"

"Maybe you should let me get a doctor." The air stewardess said nervously. "I don't think your fiancé is feeling very well at all. I'll tell the pilot to call the airport and send a medical team. You two wait here whilst the rest of the passengers disembark the plane." She walked towards the cabin, leaving Alice and Leo standing alone, at the back of the plane.

"We can't let her get a doctor." Alice hissed. "I'm not human." She grabbed Leo's wrist and began to drag him towards the door to get off the plane. "So, let's get out of here, before the awkward questions start getting asked and... you have to tell me what a fiancé is. Oh, and if it's something bad, I will beat the crap out of you."

"That's believable." Leo said. "Well, if you want to get out of here before they get you a doctor we should move fast... and get away from the airport quick. After that, we can decide where we're going. We can stop off in a town and buy a map, changes of clothes, food... whatever else we need... and I'll tell you what a fiancé is."

"What are we waiting for?" Alice asked with a grin.

xXx

"Morshower, just let me take a couple of guys and check this out." Lennox pleaded, standing in front of the General. "Optimus seems really worried about whatever's going down in South America and he'll probably try and go without our say so. Just let me and some others go to keep an eye on him." Lennox sighed. "You don't want us to go because of everything that happened in Egypt, do you?"

"Lennox, I'm fine with you lot going." Morshower said. "I can't let you go though, because Galloway is saying you pushed him out of a plane. He wants action taken against you, and I've had to ground you until further notice."

"Well... send Epps with Optimus." Lennox insisted. "Come on, just send the two of them and keep it off the radar. They can report directly to me and if anyone asks... we can say Epps is ill and Optimus is... erm... indisposed elsewhere... I dunno... grieving about Elita?"

"Lennox, you always seem to forget that I'm the one who will take the blame for your crazy ideas if they go wrong." Morshower sighed. "And I'll be taking the blame for this one too."

"You really mean it?"

"If this really is a Decepticon threat, I want it neutralised. Immediately. Sending Epps and Optimus is the best chance we have of that happening." Morshower said. "Go and tell them what's happening. I want them on a flight to Peru as soon as possible. If anyone gets in your way, like Galloway, direct them my way and I'll deal with it."

"Thank you, sir."

xXx

To say that Mikaela was annoyed would be an understatement. Just as she was going to have a proper conversion with Sam about his feelings, seeing as he hadn't said those three words to Mikaela yet and she had said them to him, Bumblebee had called, telling him that Leo was with Alice and boarding a flight to Peru. Sam had then proceeded to drag Mikaela out of the dorm, outside the building, where Bumblebee was waiting for him and Mikaela after driving back from the airport.

"Come on, Mikaela." Sam said. "Cheer up. We're going to Peru to find Leo... and Alice. It's just another adventure, and Megatron hasn't been spotted so this one might not involve so much mortal peril."

"I know that, Sam." Mikaela sighed heavily. "I just wish we got time to ourselves... that never seems to happen anymore. We're always dealing with an alien war."

"Well... maybe we'll stay in Peru a little while longer than we need to and have a holiday." Sam shrugged. "Just some time to ourselves."

"I guess... I'm just getting the feeling that I don't matter to you anymore, Sam." Mikaela said, turning to look at him. "I know you don't want to rush into saying the 'L' word, but I've said it and you still haven't. Are you ever going to say it, Sam?"

"Of course I will, 'Kaela. You mean everything to me." Sam insisted. "It just –"

"Isn't the right time?" Mikaela asked. "Wow, Sam. How many times have you used that excuse? Ten? Maybe more?" she folded her arms. "I'm not going to wait around for you forever." When Bumblebee pulled up to the curb at the airport, Mikaela stepped out of the car and walked into the terminal. Sam got out and patted Bumblebee on the hood.

"Bee, what am I going to do about her?" Sam sighed.

_"Love won't wait, forever and a day..."_ Bumblebee began to play a song through his speakers.

"Bee... what song even is that?" Sam asked and followed Mikaela into the terminal without waiting for an answer. According to Bumblebee, that was a good thing, because he didn't even know what song it was himself.

xXx

Alice and Leo collapsed in a heap in an alleyway, laughing. The air stewardess had eventually worked out that they were lying, and had sent airport security after them. An extensive chase through the Peruvian airport had followed, involved Leo being tasered and carried out of the building by Alice. They had waited in a warehouse, whilst Leo recovered, and then had run away again when security found them. Leo had managed to get security off their backs by dragging Alice through a crowded market, and yelling something in Spanish that made all of the people there block the path for security.

"Do you think they'll be able to find us?" Alice asked, sitting up and stopping herself from laughing anymore. It was time to be serious.

"I'm not sure." Leo said, scratching his head. "They might've given up and just put out wanted posters... or they might give up. It's not like we were hurting anyone... and I don't see that we're in the country illegally. We're just... tourists."

"What did you say to those people, to make them help us?" Alice asked.

"Oh. I said: _Ayuda! Estos son los hombres malos! _Which means 'help! These are bad men!'" Leo explained. "My family comes from Puerto Rico so I know quite a bit of Spanish. It's helpful in some situations... like this one."

"But why did they help you?" Alice asked. "They have nothing to gain. They might even be punished by those security men. All of they've done is bring harm to themselves and their families, just to help some strangers."

"People are like that, Alice." Leo shrugged. "Sometimes they just do crazy things, no matter what the consequences might be."

"Like you walking across the street and, well, saving me from that guy?" Alice asked.

"Yeah I guess..." Leo contemplated. "Though I wouldn't say that I saved you. I'd say that I saved him."

"Why?" Alice asked. "Because I'm a Decepticon, right? He might've made me mad, and I would've hurt him?"

"Yes." Leo replied, getting to his feet. Alice looked down at the dusty floor and stayed sitting down. "We should get moving." Leo said, not turning back to look at her. "If we stay in one place for too long it will make it easier for them to find us."

"Leo...?" Alice quietly.

"What?" He turned to look at her, and looked down at her sitting on the floor.

"Do you really think of me like that?"

"Like what?" Leo was puzzled.

"Like a monster." Alice said. "Do you see me like that?" She didn't know why it mattered so much. All she knew was that she cared what Leo thought, and she wanted him to like her.

"Erm..." Leo crouched down in front of her, and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "I don't really think I can make a judgement on you, Alice. When I first met you, I would've given anything for you to notice me... for you to like me. Then, you tried to kill me. Now... now I'm not sure how I see you. You're different. Something's changed and I'm not sure what it is. You seem... a lot more... human... then you did before."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Thank you." Alice said. She felt more human, like she had found somewhere to fit in. And Leo... it made her feel warm inside, hearing him say that. It also made her feel slightly nervous, because she didn't know why she felt this way... especially about a human. She looked up and saw that Leo was holding out a hand, to help her to her feet. Alice took his hand. His skin felt warm against... she looked at her hand and rolled her eyes.

"Well... that doesn't seem very human." Leo grinned at Alice's mechanical hand that was grasped in his.

"I really need to get that fixed." She grumbled as Leo yanked her to her feet. Alice looked up and found herself staring into Leo's eyes. Leo blushed and looked away, but she continued staring at him.

"What?" Leo asked.

"I'm not sure." She smiled. Alice had a basic understanding that humans usually blushed when they were embarrassed. Leo was embarrassed that they had made eye contact. Alice knew that he found her human form attractive – he had made it obvious several times before he had discovered the truth about her. She wasn't embarrassed by the eye contact. She had found it intriguing. Leo's eyes were a deep brown, and seemed to reflect the light back at her as if they were made of some sort of crystal or glass. She remembered something from her research into human physiology and behaviour about the eyes... many people had described them as windows to the soul. It made Alice wonder what people saw when they looked into her eyes. "Did you know you have really pretty eyes?"

"Erm... no. But, thank you for telling me." Leo said.

"Are your eyes really the windows to your soul?" Alice asked.

"Some people say they are." Leo replied, running his fingers through his hair. "Where did all of these questions suddenly come from?"

"You looked away when I looked in your eyes." Alice shrugged. "I thought there might be some sort of reason for it, but the only one I can come up with is embarrassment. Why are you embarrassed about making eye contact with me?"

"I'm not."

"Are."

"Not."

"Then why did you look away?"

"It just... made me a bit uncomfortable." Leo confessed.

"Why?"

"It just did."

"There has to be a reason, Leo."

"Okay, fine." Leo snapped. "I looked into your eyes and I didn't see anything I expected."

"What did you expect to see?" Alice asked.

"I expected to see hate and rage..." Leo replied. "But I didn't see anything like that. I saw affection and... fear. You're scared of something, Alice. I want to know why. If you're scared of it, I probably should be too."

"Leo..."

"Why are we here, Alice?" Leo asked. "I haven't pressed you for answers now, but I'm getting suspicious. What are we here to do?"

_I'm going to have to lie to him._ She thought. She didn't know why the idea of lying to him hurt her so much, but she was going to have to. "I want to revive a bunch of ancient Autobot assassins to take out Megatron." Alice declared. _It's half of the truth at least._

xXx

Epps disconnected the parachutes that were attached to himself and Optimus Prime, after they had jumped out of the C-17 over Peruvian airspace. Both of them knew what they had to do – Lennox had made it clear. They had to go in, find Leo and defeat any Decepticons, and then get out. Epps was feeling pretty confident, but he could tell something was bothering Optimus. The Autobot leader was grumpy, and wouldn't really interact with anyone. It made Epps wish that he had better company than the alien robot.

"So, where do you think the Decepticon is?" Epps asked.

"I don't know. We need to head to Machu Picchu. That's where they'll be heading." Optimus replied. "We have to get there first, and destroy what remains there."

"Optimus – there are two of us." Epps said. "What are we going to destroy?"

"I'll be the one doing the destroying." Optimus said. "You won't stand a chance against anything we face, Epps."

"What, because they're gonna be robotic assassins?" Epps asked.

"That, and because they're the Cybertronian Elite – they're the best of the Autobots and the Decepticons." Optimus explained. "They formed a pact to take out the leaders of both sides and rule Cybertron together. If the Decepticons revive them, it's going to be bad for the Autobots and the Decepticons. They've been hidden underground for so long, they won't know what's happened. They'll try to take out me and Megatron, and anyone that stands with us."

"Well... that's not good."

**No, Epps. That isn't good.**

**Thank you so much for all of the feedback! Your comments really brighten my day and I enjoy reading them.**

**The song Bumblebee is playing through his speakers is "Love Won't Wait" by Gary Barlow, just after Take That split and got back together. It's not a very famous song, but it's one I like and I couldn't really think of anything else for Bumblebee to say.**

**I'll try to get the next chapter up soon!**

**I Caught Myself.**


	6. Intoxication

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Transformers **

**Summary:**** Abandoned by the Decepticons until she can prove herself again, Alice decides to go against Megatron to find a way for peace. To do so, she accidently enlists the help of Leo Spitz. Can they put the past aside and find a way to attempt to end the Cybertronian War?**

**Rating:**** T**

**Before It's Too Late**

**Chapter 5: Intoxication**

"So... robot assassins." Leo said, sipping some tea and eating some sort of bread. He and Alice were sitting in a small room that served as a cafe in a small market area. Leo had converted some of his money into the local currency and had brought both himself and Alice local clothing so that they blended in. "Are you sure you don't want anything to eat or drink?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Alice said. "I'm a robot. The only thing I need is energon."

"Do you need any now?" Leo asked.

"No, I should be fine for a few days at the most." Alice replied. "I'm not like a human. I don't need constant maintaining."

"Except for your arm." Leo observed with a smile.

"I still don't know what's going wrong with it!" Alice fumed, glaring at the limb, even though it looked human at this moment in time. "I think I might have to take it apart and put it back together again."

"Can you even do that?" Leo asked.

"Of course." Alice replied. "All of us know how to carry basic repairs out on ourselves, just like humans can put plasters on or bandage themselves. I just don't know how complicated this is. I might be able to fix it, I might not. If I can't, I'll have to find a medic and ask them to do it."

"But the only medic the Decepticons have is Scalpel, isn't it?" Leo asked.

"Yes." Alice nodded. "I might be stuck like this forever... unless I successfully manage to get the assassins to take Megatron down. Starscream might welcome me back to the Decepticon cause because it's likely he'll take over the leadership, and then he might get someone to fix me up."

"Are you sure that there will be peace if Starscream becomes the leader?" Leo asked. "And answer me truthfully. I don't want us to lie to each other, Alice. I want us to be able to trust each other."

"No, I don't think there will be a peace if Starscream becomes the leader of the Decepticons." Alice declared, sliding her chair backwards and standing up. "But we have a better chance with him than we do with Megatron. We have a better chance with anyone than we do with Megatron." She looked around the cafe. "Can we go now? I don't really want to stay in one place for too long. We should keep moving."

"Yeah, let's go." Leo sighed, standing up and leaving a couple of coins on the table as a tip. Both he and Alice walked out into the busy market square. "Alice, I just wish you would be completely honest with me. I know there's still something you're hiding from me. Don't you trust me?"

_Why haven't I told him? _Alice thought to herself. The only thing she was hiding now was that she wanted Optimus Prime assassinated too. _So why haven't I told him?_ If he didn't like it, she could kill him. She didn't need him anymore anyway. She just had to make it to Machu Picchu and find the energy source to bring the assassins back, whether it was under the mountain or the village. She glanced at Leo as they walked along. He was staring straight ahead, looking for any signs that indicated the way to Machu Picchu.

"Look, there's the way to Machu Picchu." Leo said, pointing at a rickety wooden sign. He sounded annoyed.

"Leo, I do trust you." Alice said. He looked down at her. "It's just... if I tell you this, you'll leave me, and I don't want that to happen. I like having you around... and... maybe you'll stick around, once this mess is over. In all honesty, I'm not planning on rejoining the Decepticons. After Mikaela ran me over, I was stuck as a human and it taught me a lot about life... _human_ life. It's so perfect and precious, because you never know when it might end. Humans live to enjoy every minute of their existence, where we continue to recharge ourselves over and over again to avoid the inevitable."

"Whoa... this is getting deep. Get me some beers and we can talk about it properly." Leo joked.

"I'm being serious!" Alice protested and punched him on the arm. "I just want this war to be over... and I want Cybertron to be great again, but I don't see it as my home anymore. I don't see anywhere as my home anymore. I wouldn't mind staying on Earth for a while, maybe just to study the human race... alone."

"You could... stay with me." Leo shrugged. "I wouldn't mind. I like having you around too... which sorta surprises me."

"You like having me around even though I spend most of my time threatening to kill you?" Alice asked.

"For some strange reason, yes." Leo laughed.

"Well... don't take them seriously." Alice smiled. She reached up and touched his jaw. "I don't think I could ever hurt you." Then the honking on a bus horn broke them apart.

_"¿Usted está consiguiendo en el autobús? Para Machu Picchu?"_ The driver asked them.

"He wants to know if we're getting on the bus to Machu Picchu." Leo translated. He turned to the bus driver. "_Sí, estamos llegando_." He told the bus driver that they were and dragged Alice over to the small shabby bus, dragging her inside and shoving her into a seat.

xXx

"Optimus, are we there yet?" Epps groaned. He hated the heat of the desert, but it was worse here. In the desert it was a dry heat, whereas in Peru, travelling through the rainforest, it was humid and Epps found himself drenched with sweat and slapping the back of his neck and his arms to get rid of the biting insects.

"No, but it won't be long." The Autobot leader replied. Not many people lived in the rainforest, except for the elusive natives and the trees were tall enough to hide Optimus from any overflying planes. "We're about twenty miles away from Machu Picchu. We will be there before nightfall."

"I hope so." Epps grumbled. "I aint staying in the jungle all night. Why couldn't Lennox come on this mission anyway?"

"Because we do not what Galloway to know what is going on." Optimus reminded the human soldier. "Lennox has to remain in Diego Garcia to stop Galloway from suspecting anything. If he found out about these assassins he would want us to use them against the Decepticons – it wouldn't be possible. They'll kill all Decepticons and Autobots that stand in the way of peace."

"But you want peace, so why would they kill you?" Epps asked. "And you're the last of the Primes. If they kill you, they're screwed."

"Epps, it is likely that they would not give me the time to explain that." Optimus mused. "My death sentence will be as soon as they are activated. I just hope that the Decepticon trying to activate them knows that they won't stop until there is peace, which is likely to be when all Cybertronians are gone."

"Damn."

"Exactly."

"We really need to get to Machu Picchu before the Decepticons, don't we?"

"Yes, we do."

"I still think Lennox might be right, and that Alice is working alone."

"I do not."

xXx

"I hate leaving Bumblebee alone." Sam sighed, staring out of the window of the plane. They were somewhere above Mexico. Bumblebee had been unable to get on a plane, which was why he was speeding down American highways, trying to get to Peru as fast as possible and contact NEST to tell them what was going on.

"Sometimes, I think you're in love with your car." Mikaela snapped, folding her arms and glaring at the back of the seat in front of them.

"Mikaela, what is it going to take to tell you how sorry I am?" Sam sighed in defeat and unfolded her arms, holding one of her hands in his. "I can't say I love you. I'm only eighteen Mikaela... we've got the rest of our lives ahead of us. And... well... I don't love you."

"Oh." Mikaela blinked back the tears welling in her eyes. She had never been rejected like this by anyone before. "Well... I wish you had told me sooner, so I hadn't been wasting my time." She snatched her hand away and wiped at her eyes.

"No, 'Kaela... I didn't mean it like that." Sam said. "When I said that I don't love you, I meant that I'm trying to find the right words." He forced Mikaela to look at him. "Mikaela, we have been through so much together that I don't think love _is_ what I feel for you. I think that it's something stronger than love. I never, ever want to lose you."

"Do you really mean it?" Mikaela asked.

"Of course I do." Sam replied, stroking Mikaela's cheek. "Let's just sort out this mess in Peru and go home, okay?"

xXx

"That sign translates as 'Welcome to Machu Picchu'." Leo announced, leaning over Alice to look out of the bus window. "This is a major tourist destination, and it's not surprising why. Just look at all of the history here."

"Great, history." Alice rolled her eyes. "The only thing I'm interested in is finding some robot assassins, okay?"

"Yeah, I get you." Leo said. "Because then we can go home."

"Yes. Home. Wherever _that_ is."

"Alice, I already told you. You can come and stay with me. I want you to stick around." Leo said. "You're not too bad for a killer alien robot."

"Thanks. You're not too bad for a human." Alice countered and punched his arm playfully.

"Will you quit punching my arm?" Leo scowled, rubbing the place where Alice kept hitting him.

"But isn't that a common human behaviour?" Alice asked.

"Yes, for guys." Leo explained. "We do it when we want to... pfft... comfort each other without saying anything and acting like a pussy... like if Sam was all mopey because Mikaela had broken up with him or something. I would just punch him on the arm, and then we would go out and get smashed."

"What do you mean by 'smashed'?"

"Drunk, Alice."

"Oh."

"Yes."

"And do you talk about your feelings after you get drunk?"

"Sometimes... or we just go home and sleep off the bad hangovers we'll have the next morning."

"Wow, it sounds like _so much_ fun!" Alice said sarcastically.

"Can you even get drunk?" Leo asked.

"Erm... if I drink enough energon." Alice shrugged. "But I don't like to do that. It slows down all of my systems the next morning."

"Well that's pretty much how humans feel." Leo smiled as they got off the bus. _It's almost how she makes me feel at the moment. What is wrong with me? She's a freaking robot!_

"Awww... poor Leo." She grinned. _Is it normal to feel that way about a person? _She glanced up and caught Leo's eye again... those beautiful brown eyes... _I'm intoxicated... I can't even think straight!_ And then she realised she wanted nothing more than to stand on her toes and kiss him, in the middle of the ancient ruins where they were now stood.

"Right... now we're here, we might as well get to serious business. Where do you want to start looking?" Leo asked. She was relieved about the subject change. It meant she could try and think straight, and concentrate on her mission - removing Megatron and Optimus Prime to end the Cybertronian War. That was all that mattered. She nervously glanced up at Leo again. He wouldn't want her to kiss him. According to Sam, she tasted like diesel. She guessed that wasn't very pleasant for humans, and then wondered when and how Sam knew how diesel tasted.

"The Temple of the Sun seems like a good place to start." Alice said thoughtfully. "All sorts of holy places have been influenced by Cybertronians. Let's head there and see what we can find."

"Right. The Temple of the Sun." Leo looked around. "Which ancient, crumbling building is that one?"

**That's all for this chapter...**

**... and the writer's block is starting to hit -.-**

**I blame it on the fact that this is possibly the only fic I have ever written with no slash whatsoever. I can write het... but... it just takes me a lot longer. *shakes fist* damn you, Kimmieh-chan, for making the bunnies breed!**

**Thank you for all of the reviews, guys! Keep them coming. They help me to get past writer's block because I know you're all waiting for an update... they're extremely motivational :D**

**I Caught Myself.**


	7. Revelations

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Transformers **

**Summary:**** Abandoned by the Decepticons until she can prove herself again, Alice decides to go against Megatron to find a way for peace. To do so, she accidently enlists the help of Leo Spitz. Can they put the past aside and find a way to attempt to end the Cybertronian War?**

**Rating:**** T**

**Before It's Too Late**

**Chapter 6: Revelations**

"Alice, there's nothing here." Leo stood up and wiped the sweat from his brow. They had gone to the Temple of the Sun during the day, but there had been too many people around. They had returned that night, determined to find what they were looking for. "Can't we just go somewhere so I can sleep?"

"No. It's here. I'm certain of it." Alice insisted.

"Why are you so sure that it's here?" Leo asked. Alice crouched down and brushed the dirt away that covered the floor. Underneath, the floor was decorated with worn away Cybertronian symbols. "Oh well, that explains it." Leo shrugged.

"They've been all around the place, like they're leading the way to the Temple." Alice explained. "It must be around here somewhere."

"Why can't we look during the day?" Leo moaned.

"Because there'll be too many people about." Alice snapped. "We have to find this now and sort it all out, before Machu Picchu starts getting busy again."

"Alice, that's not going to be for a while." Leo said. "It's night time."

"Good. Then we have all night to..." Alice stood on a stone tile which moved. All of the tiles on the floor started to move and rearrange. "... look." She finished.

"Well, now we don't need to spend all night looking." Leo shrugged. He moved closer to the hole that was now in the ground, and inspected it. There were giant steps leading down into the darkness. Alice approached him and they looked at each other. "So, do we go down there?"

"By the looks of things, yes." Alice nodded. She looked out across the ruins, then pushed Leo down to the ground, and crouched down beside him. "Did you tell NEST about me?"

"No, why?" Leo hissed.

"Because Optimus Prime is over there!" Alice growled. "He must know what's going on!"

"So? He can help you, can't he?" Leo asked. "He wants peace too, so surely he'll help you bring these assassins back to get rid of Megatron."

"Leo... there's something I haven't told you." Alice sighed, grabbing his arm and dragging him down the steps, into the darkened chamber. "And I don't think you're going to like it."

"You're not going to sacrifice me, are you?" Leo raised an eyebrow.

"No."

"Phew."

"The assassins will go after Optimus Prime too."

"WHAT?"

"I told you that wouldn't like it." Alice said. "They're a group of Decepticons and Autobots who allied to bring peace to Cybertron... they plotted to remove the Autobot and Decepticon leaders, and they'll take out all of them until they can have peace."

"You crazy bitch!" Leo snarled and slammed Alice against the wall. "Optimus wants peace! He's the one that we need if this war will ever end! If they take him out, there won't be any chance of peace! And, he's the last of the Primes! You can't get rid of him, Alice. I won't let you."

"Leo, I have to do what I can to ensure the survival of my race." Alice insisted. "If both Optimus and Megatron have to go for us to have peace, so be it."

"Alice, can't you see that there will _never_ be peace between the Autobots and Decepticons?" Leo asked. "I've been thinking about it, and they're just too different. If you set these assassins loose, then the war will get even bigger. You're a Decepticon, Alice. The Autobots will retaliate and the Decepticons will because you've betrayed them. If anything you're just making this war longer."

"Then what would you have me do, Leo?" Alice asked fiercely. "What would you do? Would you sit there and watch your race destroy itself from the inside out? No, you wouldn't. You would be trying to do something about it."

"Do you really want to know what I want you to do?" Leo asked softly.

"Yes."

"I want you to run." Leo sighed.

"Why?" Alice's eyes narrowed.

"Because I think this is a stupid idea, and any minute now Optimus Prime is going to burst in here and kill you." Leo insisted. Alice's hand shot out and grabbed Leo by the throat. He looked down at her hand, which was mechanical again.

"Sorry Leo, but I have to do this." She squeezed.

"Alice..." He choked. "You... said you... would... never hurt... me..."

"I..." Alice looked up into his eyes. It would be so easy to take his life. She would never have to be confused about how she felt about him again... but then there was the issue of whether she _could_ do it.

"Could you... do... it?" Leo asked, as though reading her mind. Alice glared and threw him down onto the floor, then walked away, leaving him gasping for air on the floor.

xXx

"She's opened the chamber." Optimus observed, inspecting the large hole in the middle of the floor of the Temple of the Sun. "We have to get down there." He looked at Epps.

"Do you think Leo's down there too?" Epps asked.

"Probably." Optimus replied. "I hope he is, and I hope that he is unharmed."

"Alright – you go after the crazy Decepticon. I'll find Leo." Epps said, running down into the chamber. Optimus followed, slightly miffed that he hadn't been given a chance to agree or disagree. He could see Epps ahead of him, kneeling on the ground beside someone... Leo. "Optimus, he's okay... just a little shaken up."

"Optimus," Leo wheezed and sat up with Epps's help. "You... have to find Alice...stop her."

"I will. I'll come back for you both." Optimus declared and ran off down the tunnel.

"Can you stand?" Epps asked. Leo nodded, and Epps helped him get to his feet. "We need to get out of here."

"No... I'm not leaving without Alice." Leo insisted. "I think I can stop her."

"I won't let you, Leo." Epps said, grabbing Leo's arm. "You're a civilian. I'm not going to purposely let you run into the middle of a potential warzone."

"Fine." Leo stamped down hard on Epps's foot and charged off down the tunnel. Epps swore and ran after him.

"Stupid kid..." he grumbled to himself.

xXx

Alice was stood in the middle of the chamber, looking around in awe. The assassins were around the walls of the chamber, all dormant and waiting to be activated. All waiting for her to activate them. It was silent in the chamber, except for the sounds of something coming her way through the passages. Optimus Prime was coming for her. Alice knew that all she had to do was find the other chamber with the energy source, and then Optimus Prime would be dead. The war would be over soon after that, when Megatron was eliminated.

Alice inspected the chamber walls, looking for anything that might look as though it led into another chamber. She could hear Optimus Prime's footsteps getting louder, which meant that he was also getting closer. She found a ridge that ran along part of the wall and followed it, to where she found some sort of door frame. Alice looked at her mechanical hand, and then punched through the stone wall and watched it crumble. She stepped though the hole she had made, into a separate chamber, one that was illuminated by something that was glowing in the middle of the room. She cautiously walked towards it, stopping just in front and reaching out a hand. She touched it with her mechanical hand, and was thrown backwards across the chamber, just as Optimus Prime entered.

"Alice." He rumbled.

"Optimus, nice to see you here." She growled, standing up and rubbing the back of her head. "If you don't mind, I have things to do."

"I can't let you bring them to life, Alice."

"Why not?" She challenged. "Because they'll kill you? Maybe you could just get Sam and the Matrix to bring you back again. It worked last time."

"Alice, this is serious." Optimus said. "If Megatron and myself are killed, Starscream will take over the Decepticons and Ironhide will take over the Autobots. There will never be peace if that happens. They're both too fond of war, and neither of them trust each other."

"Then they'll be assassinated too." Alice shrugged. "It isn't my problem."

"Alice, they won't stop until the whole of the Cybertronian race is dead. That is only when we will have peace." Optimus explained. "They will see you as a threat to peace and kill you too. You don't want that, do you?"

"You don't know what I want." Alice glared.

"I know you want this war to end, and I know you want to be able to transform again." Optimus said. "I also know that you care for Leo, otherwise you would've made sure that you killed him. Why didn't you kill him?"

"I..."

"You're not really sure, are you?" Optimus asked, crouching down in front of the Decepticon. "You just know that you can't hurt him. You won't ever be able to."

"Oh, and why is that?" Alice asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Alice, I think you've fallen in love." Optimus replied.

xXx

"Well, this was a great idea." Mikaela said, tapping her foot and checking her watch. She was standing outside a Peruvian airport with Sam. "Next time we decide to fly to South America, let's find a flight that Bumblebee can get on too."

"Mikaela, we went at such short notice that there weren't any flights we could get Bee on with us." Sam said. "I'm sure he'll turn up... eventually. I doubt he's sticking to any speed limits and he'll probably smash through the borders."

"It's still going to take a couple of days."

"Yes, but he can drive at night too." Sam reminded her. "And he won't have to keep making random stops. He'll be here."

"I hope you're right." Mikaela said. "Because I'm surprised most of the cars here even work!" she fumed, gesturing to the parking lot and what looked like a taxi bay in front of them.

**Not many chapters left now :)**

**I'm aiming for ten, but it might be less than that... it probably will be less than that.**

**Thank you for all of the reviews! I wasn't expecting that much feedback, due to the unusual pairing in this fic but I'm glad that I have received so many comments! Remember to leave a review, I love to know what people think of my writing.**

**I Caught Myself.**


	8. Emergency

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Transformers **

**Summary:**** Abandoned by the Decepticons until she can prove herself again, Alice decides to go against Megatron to find a way for peace. To do so, she accidently enlists the help of Leo Spitz. Can they put the past aside and find a way to attempt to end the Cybertronian War?**

**Rating:**** T**

**Before It's Too Late**

**Chapter 7: Emergency**

Leo ran into the chamber where the dormant assassins were waiting to be awakened. He skidded to a halt in the middle, and looked around the chamber, wondering how no-one had ever found it before. Surely archaeologists had been to this place millions of times, searching for clues into Inca history. He heard Epps run up behind him, and also skid to an abrupt halt on the dusty ground.

"Damn." Epps murmured.

"I know." Leo said quietly. It didn't feel right to talk at normal volumes in the chamber. It was like a holy place, though it wasn't holy at all. It was a chamber containing robot assassins – killers. Robot assassins from both sides of a war, who had killed members of their own race for peace and had no success. "We shouldn't be here. We have to find Alice and Optimus."

"I'm with you on that." Epps said. He headed for the chamber door, which sealed shut in front of him. Epps turned back to face Leo, drawing a sabot launcher from his back. "That aint good. Leo, get behind me."

"Yeah, sure." Leo said, dashing behind Epps as the ground began to shake. "What do you think is happening?"

"Something bad."

"Well, I could've told you that." Leo rolled his eyes.

"Oh sh–" Epps started to say, as one of the assassins broke away from the wall and picked a large spear up that had been resting next to it. "LEO, RUN FOR IT!"

"WHERE?" Leo screamed at the soldier. There was nowhere for them to go. There was nowhere for them to run, nowhere to hide. _Alice, what have you done?_

xXx

"What makes you think I'm in love with a human?" Alice scowled.

"Alice, you should've killed Leo by now. Why haven't you?" Optimus challenged.

"I... just haven't yet." Alice shrugged. "He might still be useful for me, in case I need a bargaining chip to escape from here."

"You know just as well I do that's not the real reason."

"It _is_ the real reason." Alice snapped.

"The only one you're trying to convince is yourself." Optimus said. He stopped when he felt the ground shaking and turned around. "Did you touch the energy source?"

"Yeah, why?" Alice asked, looking at her mechanical hand.

"You were mainly human when you touched it, weren't you?"

"Yeah."

"The security systems have been activated. If ever a human was to touch the activation energy, an assassin would be activated to kill the human, keeping the chamber a secret." Optimus explained. "They're going to kill anyone they find..."

"Leo." Alice gasped. "Oh no... we have to find him!"

"Epps is with him." Optimus said. "He has a sabot launcher, so he should be able to hold off the assassin for a few minutes until I can get there. Maybe Leo will have a chance to get to safety."

"No..." Alice said, staring at the door. "We're sealed in. They probably are too. If I had known about the activation I never would've brought him here... and I would've waited until my systems were fully repaired. Oh no... what have I done?"

"There is no time to panic." Optimus said. "We have to break out of this chamber, but we risk activating more assassins if we do."

"Leo is in danger. I am NOT going to sit around here and do nothing!" Alice snapped, heading towards the sealed door. "We have to get to him... I can't let him die."

"And why not?" Optimus asked, taking a step forwards, standing behind Alice, inspecting the door. She ignored him, and began punching the wall with her mechanical hand. Optimus aimed one of his guns at the door. He didn't need a verbal answer from Alice. Her actions to save the human were the answer.

xXx

Epps fired a sabot round at the assassin. It deflected, and hit the wall behind himself and Leo, showering them with debris. Epps dragged Leo out of the way and shoved him down on the floor, to make sure he stayed out of the way. It was Epps's job to make sure Leo got out of this alive, no matter what happened to him. His job was looking difficult right now, being sealed in a stone chamber with a robot assassin from another planet.

"Leo, move!" Epps ordered as the assassin prepared to throw the giant spear at both of them. He grabbed Leo by the back of his t-shirt and dragged him to his feet, then shoved him out of the way. Epps felt the air movement behind him as the spear shot past. "Leo, try and find a way out. I'll keep this thing's attention on me while you do."

"There is no way out!" Leo snapped. "The chamber sealed itself, remember?"

"Well there _might_ be a way out!" Epps said furiously. "We'll be able to find out if you actually decided to look!"

"Okay, okay, I'm looking!" Leo sighed angrily and began to look around. He turned his back to Epps and began to feel along the wall for anything that might resemble a lever to open a door.

"Leo! What are you doing?" Epps demanded, turning to face Leo's back. "I said look for an exit!"

"I'm looking for a lever to open the exit!"

"This isn't _Indiana Jones_!"

"It doesn't just happen in _Indiana Jones_, stupid!" Leo protested. "It happens in a lot of other adventure films."

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN." Epps yelled. "JUST FIND A WAY OUT."

"I'M TRYING TO! IF YOU'RE SO SMART, WHY DON'T YOU –" Leo turned to face Epps. He gasped and stepped backwards, feeling his back and his legs hit the solid stone wall. "Oh..."

"That thing is standing right behind me, waiting to kill me, isn't it?" Epps asked with a sigh. Leo nodded. "Figures." Epps spun on his heel and fired a sabot round into the assassin's face. He ran forward, and grabbed Leo by the arm. "RUN."

"WHERE?"

"ANYWHERE!" Epps dragged Leo past the assassin, to the other side of the chamber. He stopped and began to reload his sabot launcher, whilst Leo looked on. "Listen to me, keep looking for your lever – there must be some sort of mechanism to open the door. Even if it isn't a lever, you might find it by chance."

"And what are you going to do?" Leo asked.

"What I was doing before. I'm going to keep its attention on me."

"It's going to kill you." Leo insisted, watching the assassin starting to get back up on its feet. He looked at Epps. "It's going to kill both of us. There's nothing else we can do."

"Yes, we can." Epps said. "Look for an exit. Optimus and Alice are the other side of one of the doors. Maybe I can hold it off long enough to give them time to get into the chamber. Then Optimus can take it out."

"Well, that's if the assassin doesn't kill him first." Leo said sceptically.

"Leo!"

"I'm going!"

xXx

"Gr. This is taking _forever_." Mikaela growled. She was sat on a tour bus – at night – which was on its way to Machu Picchu. She was squashed up against the window, with Sam on her other side. The temperature of the inside of the bus was extremely hot, and it smelt. "Now I really wish that Bumblebee had been able to come on the plane with us."

"'Kaela, he couldn't." Sam sighed.

"I know... but this..." Mikaela pulled a disgusted face. "This is just... just horrible... it's too hot."

"I know... we should be there soon." Sam said, checking his watch. "Well, in a few hours... when it's daylight."

"How long is that?" Mikaela asked.

"Erm... a while." Sam replied.

"Pffft." Mikaela let out a deep sigh. "It wasn't this hot in Egypt."

"In Egypt we weren't cramped together on a bus."

"That's true."

"Hang on, that's my cell." Sam said, pulling the phone out of his pocket. The caller I.D. said 'Leo Spitz'. "Leo, where are you? What's going on?"

_"Sam... my fault... chamber... assassins... Alice... Optimus... Epps... me... dead..."_ Leo's voice came through, rather faint and full of static. _"Emergency... help..."_

"Whoa, what?" Sam asked. "Leo, tell me what's going on. Where are you?" Sam was answered by the cut off tone. He turned to Mikaela. "I think they're in trouble."

**And we're drawing ever closer to the end. I think there will be one or two chapters after this one.**

**Thanks for all of the reviews, and keep them coming!**

**I Caught Myself.**


	9. Confessions and Caveins

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Transformers **

**Summary:**** Abandoned by the Decepticons until she can prove herself again, Alice decides to go against Megatron to find a way for peace. To do so, she accidently enlists the help of Leo Spitz. Can they put the past aside and find a way to attempt to end the Cybertronian War?**

**Rating:**** T**

**Before It's Too Late**

**Chapter 8: Confessions and Cave-ins**

"OH, COME ON!" Alice yelled, still trying to punch through the door. "THERE IS NO DAMN WAY I'M GOING TO SIT IN HERE AND DO NOTHING WHILE LEO IS IN DANGER."

"Alice, if you move, I can try and shoot through the door." Optimus said.

"Why didn't you tell me that before?" Alice snapped, turning to face Optimus with her hands on her hips. "I just wasted loads of time, trying to punch through a wall that is impossible for me to break, while you just stand there and watch. Leo might be dying! He might be dead! Hurry up and blown the door down!"

"Then get out of the way." Optimus said, loading the gun. Alice stepped around behind him, and watched as he shot the door. The stone crumbled away, leaving a large hole that led into the assassin chamber. Alice ran into the chamber, and saw Epps standing in front of the assassin, and Leo standing behind the assassin on the other side of the chamber, running his hands over the wall, as though he was looking for something.

"Leo!" She exclaimed and ran over to him, throwing herself into his arms. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Alice, now is not the time." Leo said, prying her arms from around his neck. "I'm looking for a way out, or we're all dead."

"But..."

"But what?" He asked.

"I'm so sorry, Leo. I could never hurt you." She reached up and placed a hand on his cheek. "I came back to rescue you... I should never have got you dragged into this mess. I'm sorry." She stood up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. "And I love you."

"Wait... what?" Leo asked in shock.

"That's why I could never hurt you... that's why I feel so good around you... it's why I never want to lose you..." Alice said, staring up at Leo, whose eyes were wide with shock. "Will you say something back? Please?"

"... Damn." Leo said, and pulled Alice into his arms and kissed her.

Optimus stepped over Epps, and charged into the assassin that was getting ready to fire a large gun off at the soldier and almost definitely kill him. Optimus dove on the assassin, and dragged it down onto ground with him. Epps dodged the falling robots, whilst Alice and Leo finally broke their embrace and flattened themselves against the wall to prevent Optimus and the assassin crushing them both. Epps ran over to them both.

"Are you two okay?" He asked.

"We're fine." Leo replied.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Epps said.

"How?" Leo asked, looking around. "I didn't find an exit. How are we going to get out of here?"

"Like this." Epps strode over to the main door to the chamber, and raised his sabot launcher, aiming it at the door. "You better cover your ears, Leo." He squeezed the trigger, and fired off the round. Leo ducked behind Alice and covered his ears. She looked down at him and smirked. The door exploded in a shower of dust and rocks. Epps grabbed Alice's hand, and dragged her out of the chamber. Leo got to his feet and sprinted after them, as the tunnel began to collapse behind them. He stopped and turned on his heel.

"OPTIMUS!" He called, cupping his hands around his mouth. "THE TUNNEL IS COLLAPSING. COME ON!"

"Leo!" Alice ran back and grabbed his arm. "There's nothing you can do for Optimus... he'll get out of this fine. He is a Prime after all, and a big pile of rocks isn't as dangerous for a transformer. Just come on!" She grabbed Leo down the collapsing tunnel, running after Epps, who was trying to find the exit.

"YOU TWO! THIS WAY!" Epps yelled, pointing down the tunnel. "I CAN SEE LIGHT!" He grabbed Alice's arm again and dragged them both towards the exit, and soon they were standing in the sunlight, blinking at the brightness. They all turned around and watched as the tunnel finished collapsing, along with most of the Temple of the Sun. Alice turned around again, and tapped both Epps and Leo on the shoulder.

"Uhm... guys? This could be a problem." She pointed to a banged up tour bus that was slowly approaching the ruins. "When Optimus comes out, how are we going to explain him and _this_?" she gestured to the ruins.

"Leo did it." Epps slung his sabot launcher onto his back and folded his arms. "That's the excuse I'm sticking with."

"HEY!" Leo scowled. "I'm not the one who blew the door down!"

"They don't need to know that." Epps said.

"Do you speak Spanish?"

"Not really."

"Well they will know about it, because I'll tell them."

"Or, we could all go and hide somewhere until Optimus gets out." Alice suggested with a shrug of her shoulders. "That way, we won't have to tell anyone what happened or answer any sorts of awkward questions."

"I hate to say it, but she's right." Epps admitted. "Come on, we can hide behind one of the giant piles of rubble that we just created."

"And do what?" Leo asked.

"Wait until nightfall." Alice replied. "Then we can try and dig Optimus out if he hasn't escaped already."

"Come on, we better hurry." Epps said, gesturing to the bus, which tourists were staggering out of. Let's go."

xXx

"Can you see any of them?" Mikaela asked, climbing off the bus that had taken them to Machu Picchu. Sam had got off the bus before her, to give the area a quick check for any familiar faces.

"No, I can't see anyone." Sam replied.

"Well, as derelict as this place is, I don't think that giant pile of rubble is meant to be there." Mikaela gestured to the pile. Sam looked at her, then at the rubble, and back again at Mikaela.

"I think you might be right." Sam said. He started walking towards it. "Come on, it might give us a clue to where Leo is. He also mentioned something about Epps and Optimus in his patchy phone call."

"Don't forget about Alice." Mikaela said. "She's the one who kidnapped him."

"We don't know if she did."

"Well I wouldn't put it past her. She has tried to kill us all before." Mikaela felt the need to remind Sam.

"I know, 'Kaela. I was her main target." Sam sighed. "Can we just go and look for them now?"

"Sam, I want to find them as much as you." Mikaela said softly. "No matter how much Leo gets on my nerves sometimes, we went through hell together. He's my friend too."

"I know... I'm sorry." Sam sighed, heading towards the piles of rubble. He climbed on top of one, looked down, and screamed. Sam then fell off the pile of rubble, and landed on the ground with a thud.

"Sam?" Mikaela called, following the path he had taken. She looked down, and saw Sam laying on the ground in a heap, with Leo, Epps and Alice sitting with their backs against the pile of rubble, looking up at her. "Well, it looks like you found them."

"Help... please..." Sam mumbled.

"Where's Optimus?" Mikaela asked, sliding down the rubble and helping Sam to his feet.

"Erm..." Leo looked at Alice, who looked at Epps.

"What?" Epps asked. He sighed. "Optimus is... under this pile somewhere."

"..." Mikaela said nothing.

"You're kidding, aren't you?" Sam laughed nervously.

"Nope." Leo said. "It was Epps's fault. He collapsed the tunnel by firing a sabot round in there."

"Leo, if not for him, we would be dead now." Alice said.

"Who even said you were allowed to speak?" Mikaela snapped.

"Geez..." Alice rolled her eyes. "Are you _still_ mad I kissed your boyfriend."

"Yes, I am." Mikaela growled.

"Oh. Well, that overcomplicates things." Alice shrugged. "You can kiss my boyfriend if you want to get even." She nudged Leo.

"What the –?" Mikaela's jaw dropped.

"Did I hear that right?" Sam asked. "You –" he pointed to Leo. "– And you." He pointed to Alice. "Are in a relationship?"

"Erm... yes." Leo answered.

"I never expected that." Sam said, and looked at Mikaela. She shrugged and sat down next to Epps.

"Sam, nevermind." Epps said. "Just sit down. We're waiting for Optimus to get back out."

**One more chapter after this, methinks. Keep the reviews coming!**


	10. Epilogue: Accepted

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Transformers **

**Summary:**** Abandoned by the Decepticons until she can prove herself again, Alice decides to go against Megatron to find a way for peace. To do so, she accidently enlists the help of Leo Spitz. Can they put the past aside and find a way to attempt to end the Cybertronian War?**

**Rating:**** T**

**Before It's Too Late**

**Epilogue: Accepted**

"We've been here from sunrise to sunset." Leo complained. "We've been sat behind this pile of rubble for over TWELVE hours, and there is still no sign of Optimus. I say we give up and go home because I'm tired, I'm hot, I'm bored and I'm _starving_!"

"Well if you hadn't decided to work with _her_, you wouldn't be stuck here. You would be back home in the United States, and she would be in NEST custody, hopefully permanently put out of action." Mikaela said. "SO. It's your own fault that you're stuck here."

"Mikaela, why are you so grumpy?" Leo asked. He turned to Sam. "Is it her 'girl problems' or something? If it is, I'm going to stop talking to her right now, just in case she tries to kill me."

"Why do guys ALWAYS assume that it's 'girl problems' whenever a girl is grumpy?" Mikaela sighed angrily.

"Because it usually is." Leo shrugged and dodged Mikaela's fist, sheltering behind Alice.

"I'm grumpy because I don't want to be here." Mikaela said. "I got dragged here by Sam to come and _rescue_ you from Alice. When we arrive, it turns out you don't need rescuing, and that you and her have discovered some sort of weird romantic attachment. It's _weird_ Leo. She's a robot, and you're a human. It's just... not normal!"

"What's your point?" Alice asked.

"I was talking to Leo. Not YOU." Mikaela snapped.

"Girls, stop fighting, _please_!" Epps groaned. "I'm tired and irritable too, and I'm the one who's armed so shut up."

Everyone went silent after that. Mikaela scooted away from Leo and Alice, to Epps's other side, where Sam was sat, and rested her head on his shoulder. Epps leant back against the pile of rubble and closed his eyes. He wanted to go home and see his family... and he was going to beat Lennox up for sending him on this crazy mission. Leo and Alice sat in silence, neither of them knowing what to say to the other after Mikaela's statement about their relationship being weird. Alice tapped him on the shoulder, and gestured with her head. They both got to their feet and walked away, going somewhere more private. They stopped behind a crumbling wall.

"What are you thinking about?" Alice asked, looking up at Leo.

"I'm thinking about what Mikaela said." Leo replied grimly.

"About our relationship being weird?" Alice asked. "Who cares what she thinks."

"Alice... you... you are a robot though." Leo sighed. "And I am a human. It's... it's just strange now that I think about it.

"Leo, do you want to know why that assassin came after you and Epps?" Alice asked. Leo nodded. "Well, the security protocols activate one of the assassins if a human tries to activate the energy source to keep the chamber a secret. The system recognised me as a human, Leo. Even though I touched it with my mechanical hand. As far as it's concerned, I am a human."

"B-but you're not human!" Leo exclaimed. "How the hell didn't it recognise you as a transformer! You touched it with your mechanical hand!"

"I know, Leo." Alice rolled her eyes. "You're repeating what I just told you."

"Well yeah... I'm trying to make it make sense in my head, but I'm also failing at the same time." Leo said. He took a deep breath. "So, some security system that was built thousands of years ago says you're human, and sends an assassin to kill us all to stop us uncovering the secret. That's enough proof that you're human for me."

"Really?" Alice asked.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Leo asked. "Come on, if a security system designed by your own race says that you're a human, it's good enough for me. It's not like you can transform anyway. Well... except for your arm."

"Yeah, stupid arm." Alice mumbled.

"I'm sure someone will be able to fix it." Leo shrugged. "Talk to Optimus. He might be able to persuade Ratchet to fix it for you."

"If Optimus gets out."

"Alice, he'll be fine." Leo reassured her. "He'll probably get out, say hi to Sam and Mikaela, check that Epps is okay and everyone got out, say something to you and then have a go at me for running off with a Decepticon without telling NEST anything that was going on."

And Leo was right.

Optimus Prime hauled himself out from under the pile of debris, and looked down at the humans gathered around it. Epps had lit a fire, to keep the night time chill away. He stood up when Optimus sat down on the ground, making it shake.

"Sam, Mikaela – it is nice to see the both of you." Optimus said. "Where is Bumblebee?"

"He's on his way." Sam said. "We couldn't get him on a flight, so he had to drive here. I have no idea where he is though. He could be anywhere between New York and this side of the South American border."

"Epps, are you okay?" Optimus asked.

"I'm fine. That assassin didn't even touch me." Epps grinned. "I am so going to kill Lennox for sending me on this crazy adventure."

"Alice, when we get back to Diego Garcia, I want to discuss your involvement in this." Optimus said, addressing the Decepticon Pretender. "I also want to know every bit of intel you have that might help us defeat Megatron."

"Oh, it will be my pleasure to help you defeat Megatron." Alice said. "He hasn't exactly been the nicest warlord in the universe."

Leo cracked up laughing. "Could the way you said that be any more patronising?"

"Leo." Optimus said.

"Oh fu –"

"I am disappointed with you." Optimus said sternly. "Though I have not known you long, I never would've expected you to run off with a Decepticon without informing NEST of the Decepticon presence. She could've killed you or your friends. You purposefully put yourself in danger for no reason."

"There was a reason." Leo said quietly. "She told me she could end this war. That's why I went with her, because I believed she could."

"You want your old life back, don't you?" Sam interjected.

Leo nodded. "I know I was the one who wanted it all to be real... but you have no idea how much I wish that I didn't get mixed up in this." He turned to Alice, and threaded his fingers with his. "Alice is the only good thing that has come out of this for me, and I don't want to lose her. I'm not letting you take her back to Diego Garcia with you."

"Why not?" Optimus asked.

"Because they're not going to believe she wants to help us." Leo said. "When have you ever heard of a Decepticon switching sides?"

"Jetfire." Mikaela snapped. "Remember him?"

"Besides him." Leo glared back at Mikaela.

"I can't think of any examples, Leo." Optimus confessed. He turned to Epps. "What do you think?"

"Well... I'm not entirely sure." Epps shrugged. "But, we could get Alice enrolled in Princeton with Sam and Leo, then Bumblebee will be able to keep an eye on her... and she could pass intel to him to pass onto us. That way she doesn't have to go to Diego Garcia, and we won't have to name our source."

"That sounds like a good idea." Sam said. He looked at Mikaela. "What do you think?"

"I –" Mikaela sighed. "I guess it might work... we can try it out. I'm going to be at home working in the garage most of the time, so I won't have to see Alice too often."

"Thank you." Alice said. "For agreeing to this. I know we're not exactly on the best of terms, but... thank you."

"Don't thank me yet." Mikaela said. "We don't even know if this is going to work."

**End.**

**Aaaaaaand I'll leave it up to your imagination what happens, though I honestly think that Alice and Leo get a happy ending :)**

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story. I really enjoyed reading your comments and I really enjoyed writing this.**

**I Caught Myself.**


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